The Kars team was Yumo's former home.
Yumo spent more than two years at Kars, winning his first world championship and the name of the god of silence was closely associated with Kars thereafter.
His departure from Kars to the Eternal team caused a sensation in the industry due to the mutual success achieved by him and the team at Kars.
At the crucial moment of Kars' loss in the Asian Invitational, Yumo proposed to terminate his contract with the team. Many fans who had witnessed Yumo and Kars walking towards the world pinnacle couldn't accept it. They expressed that they would not watch Yumo play if he was not with Kars. However, Yumo's determination to terminate the contract was exceptionally firm. Having enough money, he was ready to pay the penalty and no one could do anything about it.
Despite Kars' efforts to retain Yumo, they resorted to a ban. After Yumo's departure, for a long time, no top domestic team dared to pick him up. At the same time, Kars also officially released a statement, accusing Yumo of being greedy and breaking his promise, which caused a large number of team fans to turn against Yumo.
Yumo's time as a free agent was a veritable carnival for the haters. Not only were his Weibo comments and private messages filled with vicious taunts and curses, but whenever he livestreamed, the haters would wait for him online, bombarding the chat with insults against him and his family.
"Why didn't the professional player go play professionally?"
"Who do you think let you step onto the world championship stage?"
"Without Kars, you are nothing at all! Kars fans will hate you forever!"
"Yumo, trying to talk about your original intentions? You're just a hypocrite!"
"Is it all just for money? Take your excuse and get lost!"
"Where's your mom? Do you think anyone watches your stream?"
"I hope you won't regret when Kars wins the championship!"
Just when everyone thought Yumo would fade into obscurity, he signed with the Eternal team.
Eternal was a new and upcoming team under overseas management, with a new shareholder who had never managed a club before. Boldly entrusting the entire team to Yumo, he reshuffled the team by bringing in Xiao Xingheng, Panda, Lu and Laomai. They started from the qualifying rounds and gritted their teeth all the way to the BPL finals.
Because of Yumo, the rumors and criticisms continued to hound them. The haters could not accept that Yumo, after leaving Kars, could still win consecutively and even buy expensive seats to jeer at their matches.
However, none of this hindered the team's progress to the championship. They overcame numerous obstacles and claimed the crown.
With their performance, the Eternal team proved to everyone that they were a dark horse. The name of the God of Silence returned to the public eye, smashing the faces of some and causing countless others to cheer for him.
Ironically, Yumo's former team Kars did not even make it to the semi-finals.
Everyone finally realized that it was not Kars that brought Yumo to the championship stage, but Yumo himself was a sharp sword.
Headlines in major esports forums suddenly changed to: "The champion has another name: Silence."
Since the termination of his contract, Yumo had remained silent. Even at his worst, he had never thought about explaining himself. But one night, he posted a Weibo message:
"The name of the champion is not Silence, it is Eternal, bearing the weight and basking in glory."
A simple sentence seemed to have extraordinary significance, but most people were busy celebrating the victory, and the past complicated entanglements were gradually forgotten.
"I've always been curious," Zhong Xiang said as he walked into the yard, bringing a noticeable silence around. Puzzled, he asked, "You were doing fine back then. Why did you have to terminate the contract with Kars? They treated you well, didn't they? Was it because of that last match?"
"Yes."
"It's not like you played in the match. How does it concern you that they lost?"
"It certainly concerns me," Yumo's voice lowered with a hint of coldness. "It concerns not just me, but everyone."
Zhong Xiang couldn't help searching for the keywords of "Kars team's 6th Asian Invitational" online, and the first related result was the official statement released by Kars team.
"Due to substitute player MENG's reckless behavior leading to the defeat, after being educated, she showed no remorse..." Zhong Xiang muttered, "She was let go?!"
He was stunned for a moment, then felt a chill in his heart, "Blaming a substitute for losing a match? Are they animals? How is she supposed to survive in the industry in the future?"
"Yes," Yumo did not deny the fact that he considered his former team in that light. "I knew back then that Kars wouldn't last long, so—"
"Wait," Zhong Xiang suddenly interrupted him, "Is this MENG a girl?"
"…Yes. What's the matter?"
"A little girl, huh!"
"That's not the point."
"Of course, it is!" Zhong Xiang exclaimed, staring at the news online, "You're coming up with all these righteous reasons! You did it for a woman, didn't you?"
"Enough of this nonsense."
Yumo is a good-natured person who usually speaks in a calm tone. Rarely does he shout, which startled Zhong Xiang. In a lower voice, he said, "It's just a joke. Besides, how many professional girls are there in the field? I have to deal with a bunch of unwashed old virgins every day. Isn't it okay for me to gossip a little?"
"Do you even know how much pressure a professional girl has to bear? All because you like gossip!" Yumo coldly snorted.
Zhong Xiang, feeling guilty, scratched his head and said, "Kars is really ungrateful. If we had a girl on our team, I'd treat her like a treasure. Later on? Did she quit professional gaming after that?"
Yumo chuckled.
"Kars wouldn't let anyone touch someone she doesn't want. Do you know why she was my substitute? Because she's strong. Kars' management is afraid that if she goes to another team, it would be a threat. So, they told her that she could substitute for me," he said softly. "What's the point of having me as a substitute? It's better to go to another team and play as a starter."
"Don't think that way. You have no idea how many people are lining up to be your substitute," Zhong Xiang said. "Now I understand. You feel like you owe her a starting spot, don't you?"
Yumo softly responded with an "Mm."
"But she hasn't played professionally for so long. Are you sure she can still compete professionally?" Zhong Xiang said. "She didn't even add you as a friend. Are you sure she's willing to compete professionally? I still think Doctor is better, ready to use."
Thinking about Lin Meng's attitude, Yumo felt a bit uneasy. He sighed lightly and said, "Give me a few more days, POP isn't in a hurry."
"Alright," Zhong Xiang said.
After hanging up the phone, Yumo lay back on the lounge chair in the courtyard, closing his tired eyes.
"Staying here can only be a substitute for Shen. But as a young girl, you don't have much future in professional gaming. Once you leave Kars, there may not even be a team that wants you," Tang Jinhai said.
"Why are you scaring her?" Yumo frowned. "If you play well, there will be teams that want you anywhere."
"There are always people who outperform others. Even if you perform well among the younger players, does it really mean you're good?" Tang Jinhai said, raising his chin. "I'm not discriminating against your gender, Silence, but in some respects, girls...you have to admit, in certain aspects, they can't compare to boys."
"Admit what? Let her choose for herself."
"I do," the 16-year-old Lin Meng suddenly spoke up. She clenched her fist, her eyes determined. "I'll be Shen's substitute. Wherever he goes, I go."
Thinking back on all these events was exhausting for Yumo. The little bird could have soared high, but it was ultimately pressed to death in its nest. He had spent a lot of effort to inquire within the major teams in an attempt to find Lin Meng, but to no avail.
Kars was at fault for Lin Meng. In that match, they didn't promote or present Lin Meng at all, to the point that afterwards, everyone only knew that Kars had a female team member, and she was a failure.
Much later, when Yumo returned to Kars, he found that things had changed. He angrily questioned Tang Jinhai, who showed no remorse, and even seemed proud.
"1:3, if it had continued like that, she'd be doxxed to death," Tang Jinhai said. "I didn't disclose her personal information to the public and even had her wear a mask on stage. It was truly being farsighted."
Only Yumo knew that Lin Meng was the biggest victim in the whole matter. He had anticipated that Lin Meng would blame herself, but he never expected that when they reunited someday, he would still become awkward because of his guilt.
---
Lin Meng sat on the bench for a long time, unable to calm her mind.
She had almost, almost been defeated by Yumo.
It couldn't be denied that, before growing into a border butcher devoid of emotions, Lin Meng was also a girl with a bird's nest complex.
At that time, she wanted to play as a damage dealer and heal for Yumo who loved playing as a healer, so she trained to become an all-round player.
Looking back now, it was truly foolish.
Lin Meng grumbled about her own unassertive reflex.
At this moment, Lin Siten sent her a 15-second-long voice message. When she opened it, it contained a mix of noise—fabric rubbing, a man's muttering, and a girl's light gasping.
"Give me a kiss~"
"Mmm, no, don't..."
Lin Meng accidentally played the message out loud. In the quiet neighborhood, this random voice message contained a bit of an adult tone. She instinctively looked around, but thankfully, no one was around.
Clearly, it was an accidental recording, and the female voice sounded like Lin Siten.
But what was Lin Siten doing?
Lin Meng couldn't fathom it. But thinking about her aunt's instructions before leaving, she decided to call Lin Siten, just to be sure.
After a while of busy tone, Lin Siten finally picked up.
"Hello?" She was panting slightly, her tone impatient. "What do you want?"
"What are you doing?" Lin Meng frowned.
"I'm...singing K!" Lin Siten said.
"My aunt told me to keep an eye on you..."
Before she could finish, Lin Siten rudely interrupted her, "Mind your own business, Lin Meng! You're more annoying than a fly!"
Click. The call was hung up.
Lin Meng laughed out of irritation, holding her phone.
"You're annoying me? Who cares if you're not annoyed!" She sneered at her phone.
She didn't want to see Lin Siten's face, so she ended up wandering around outside for an hour. When she returned to Nan Xu Public Relations, she was surprised to find the place empty.
The hall was a mess, and Lin Meng crossed over a puddle of unknown origin to search the house, but she didn't find Lin Siten anywhere.
She returned to the courtyard and looked around, feeling a bit panicked.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. A person walked up beside her, looking puzzled, and asked, "What are you doing here?"
I can't send my red envelopes without leaving a message. Whines.